The present invention relates to a boat trailer lighting system and especially to a light mounted to the skeg of an outboard motor attached to a boat being towed on a trailer.
An outboard motor boat is generally transported over land on trailers pulled by motor vehicles. The boats being hauled on the trailers typically have their outboard motors mounted to the transom of the boat. The boat trailers have rear safety lights which are connected to the motor vehicle tail lights and brake lights and are actuated whenever the vehicles tail lights or brake lights are actuated. The tail lights on boat trailers are generally placed at a relatively low level above the road surface and the boats are loaded to the trailers to extend well past the rear of the trailer such that the trailer lights are sometimes difficult to see by a driver in a vehicle following the trailer. Drivers who are following a boat and trailer being pulled by a vehicle are generally accustomed to seeing safety lights which stand out and are brighter than can be seen from such a low level and sometimes below the hull of the boat. In addition, the outboard motor gear drive housing and skeg protrude below the boat sometimes block the view of one of the tail lights. The relatively low level of trailer lights results in them not being readily noticed by a following driver. It is accordingly desirable to have a brighter tail light and brake light or lights positioned on the very back of the boat or on the outboard motor which is readily noticeable by a driver following the trailered boat. Placing a light on the back of the boat presents a problem in finding a place to mount the light while the boat is being trailered which can be removed for launching the boat.
The present invention provides a convenient removable tail light and brake light for a trailered boat which can be easily and quickly attached and removed from the skeg of the outboard motor.
Prior art U.S. patents can be seen in the Cribbs U.S. Pat. No. 5,613,886, for an outboard motor mounted safety light apparatus mounted to an outboard motor that is being towed by a trailer. The light is mounted to the outside housing or cowling of the outboard motor and may be connected to the trailer lights. In the Wengler U.S. Pat. No. 5,137,481, an outboard motor carrier or tote mounts over the housing of the outboard motor and has a pair of spaced apart straps that encircle the motor with a carrying handle formed of fabric. The outboard motor tote includes a post having a white navigation light attached to it. The Altimus U.S. Pat. No. 3,870,875, is a cover for covering the propeller and rear drive assembly of an outboard/inboard motor boat and has an electric tail light mounted to the rear of the cover which can be electrically connected to the tail light wire of a boat trailer. The Johannes U.S. Pat. No. 4,993,978, is an outboard motor signal made up of a plate-light member supported by U-shape springs on the outboard motor. Reflective tape is disposed on the outside of the plate-light member. The Chudzik U.S. Pat. No. 5,157,591, is an attachable auxiliary vehicle lighting system which can be selectively attached to the front or rear of a vehicle or a trailer or carrier attached to a vehicle or to an object attached to the vehicle trailer or carrier, such as a ladder, a boat, or a bicycle. The Rasinski U.S. Pat. No. 4,286,309, is a detachable vehicle lighting fixture for use with towed vehicles, such as boats and snowmobiles. The Whitley, Jr. U.S. Pat. No. 3,885,146, is an attachable tail light assembly for boat trailers.
The present invention is for a boat trailer lighting system which conveniently attaches to the skeg on an outboard motor of a boat being towed on a trailer and connects to the trailer lighting system to provide an easily attached and removed lighting assembly in a position that is easily seen by the driver of a vehicle following the trailered boat.